Ugandan AIDS Activists Call on Government to Reconsider Decision Against PrEP

Activists in Uganda are calling on the government to reconsider its "dismissal of an emerging prevention protocol demonstrated to be effective in a trial conducted partly in Uganda, and which has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," IRIN reports. "The protocol in question is a form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) involving a daily dose of two antiretroviral drugs -- marketed as Truvada -- taken by an uninfected person who is in a sexual relationship with an HIV-positive partner," the news service notes. Alex Ario, program manager in the Ministry of Health's AIDS Control Programme, "said public misunderstanding of the protocol could encourage 'reckless sex,'" IRIN writes, adding, "Experts say, however, that there is no evidence from PrEP trials to date to indicate that its use increases risky sexual behavior." According to the news service, "Ugandan activists have called on the government to rethink its decision, especially in light of the fact that the country's HIV prevalence has risen from 6.4 percent to 7.3 percent over the past five years." The article includes additional comments from Ario, AVAC Executive Director Mitchell Warren, and activist Milly Katana (9/3).

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